Herbs & Cultures

From Ayurveda to Rongoā Māori

Herbal knowledge and the cultures that passed it on

Communities around the world learned how plants nourish, care and heal. Here their traditions stand beside present-day use, with respect for every culture.

All 980 herbs from 43 traditions

Also found

Recipes: Tea for a starting cold Tincture for the cold season
Chinese formulas: Yi guan jian
Treatment by condition: Cancer

Caution
Asia · Herb · № 726
Fortune's boneset (pei lan)
Eupatorium fortunei
Traditionally attributed effects: transforms dampness in the middle and relieves summer heat.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 790
Diverse wormwood (liu ji nu)
Artemisia anomala
Traditionally attributed effects: lets the blood flow, promotes menstruation and relieves pain from injury.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 642
Chinese asparagus root (tian men dong)
Asparagus cochinchinensis
Traditionally attributed effects: moistening; for recovery after illness or surgery, chronically dry skin and for the production of sex hormones.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Food · № 636
Jujube (red date)
Ziziphus jujuba
Traditionally attributed effects: sweet and strengthening in fatigue, anaemia and low energy; builds strength and blood and softens herbal dishes.
Chinese medical traditions+2
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 681
Korean ash bark (qin pi)
Fraxinus chinensis subsp. rhynchophylla
Traditionally attributed effects: for diarrhoea and dysentery from damp heat, red eyes and cough with heat.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 663
Chinese wild ginger (xi xin)
Asarum sieboldii (en A. heterotropoides)
Traditionally attributed effects: warms in wind-cold, relieves pain from cold and loosens cold phlegm in the lungs.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 740
Corydalis (yan hu suo)
Corydalis yanhusuo
Traditionally attributed effects: moves blood and qi and is an important pain-relieving herb.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 729
Chinese cardamom (sha ren)
Amomum villosum (en A. kravanh)
Traditionally attributed effects: warms the spleen, transforms dampness, calms a restless foetus and prevents tonics from lying heavy on the stomach.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 660
Chinese lovage root (gao ben)
Ligusticum sinense
Traditionally attributed effects: expels wind-cold and relieves above all headache at the crown, toothache and rheumatic pain.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 137
Chinese rhubarb
Rheum palmatum
The root (da huang) contains anthraquinones, making it a strong laxative. In small amounts its tannins have the opposite, binding effect. Its mechanism is well understood.
Chinese medical traditions+4
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 768
Polygala root (yuan zhi)
Polygala tenuifolia
Traditionally attributed effects: calms the mind and clears phlegm from 'the openings of the heart' and from the lungs.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 703
Gold coin grass (jin qian cao)
Lysimachia christinae (ook Desmodium styracifolium)
Traditionally attributed effects: helps pass kidney and gallstones and drains damp heat from the liver.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 741
Chinese bugleweed (ze lan)
Lycopus lucidus
Traditionally attributed effects: moves the blood and regulates menstruation; diuretic.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Food · № 635
Chinese yam (shan yao)
Dioscorea polystachya (syn. D. opposita)
Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens spleen, stomach and lungs, helps regulate the hormone system in women and is said to lower blood sugar.
Chinese medical traditions+2
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 124
Chrysanthemum (ju hua)
Chrysanthemum × morifolium
The flowers (ju hua) are used in Chinese medicine as a 'cooling' remedy for colds with fever, headaches and tired, red eyes. Clinical evidence is limited.
Chinese medical traditions+3
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 755
Cibotium (gou ji)
Cibotium barometz
Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens kidney yang, bones and tendons in a stiff, painful lower back and knees.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Mineral · № 797
Cinnabar (zhu sha)
Cinnabaris (kwiksulfide)
Traditionally attributed effects: was used to calm the mind and stop convulsions; contains mercury.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 760
Cistanche (rou cong rong)
Cistanche deserticola
Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens kidney yang, moistens the bowel and warms the uterus.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 85
Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
Traditionally used for restlessness, sleep problems and a nervous stomach; externally for cold sores. Small studies suggest a mild calming effect, but evidence is limited.
Monastic and folk knowledge+7Folklore
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 777
Cnidium seed (she chuang zi)
Cnidium monnieri
Traditionally attributed effects: externally for itching and fungus around the genitals; internally a kidney yang tonic.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 720
Arisaema rhizome (tian nan xing)
Arisaema heterophyllum (en A. erubescens)
Traditionally attributed effects: dries phlegm and expels wind and phlegm from the meridians in convulsions and paralysis.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 639
Codonopsis (dang shen)
Codonopsis pilosula
Traditionally attributed effects: reduces fatigue, supports the production of blood cells and strengthens spleen, stomach and lungs.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Asia · Mushroom · № 147
Caterpillar fungus (cordyceps)
Ophiocordyceps sinensis (syn. Cordyceps sinensis)
A fungus that parasitises caterpillars. Used in Tibetan and Chinese medicine for fatigue, lung complaints and low libido. Studies are small and there is no convincing evidence.
Chinese medical traditions+2
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 731
Costus root (mu xiang)
Dolomiaea costus (syn. Saussurea lappa, Aucklandia lappa)
Traditionally attributed effects: moves the qi in spleen, stomach, intestine, liver and gallbladder; helps digest tonics.
Ayurveda+3
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 779
Cremastra (shan ci gu)
Cremastra appendiculata (ook Pleione en Tulipa edulis)
Traditionally attributed effects: externally for swollen glands, lumps, sores and abscesses.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 474
Purging croton
Croton tiglium
Traditionally attributed effects: drastically laxative, irritant, skin-irritant; for stroke, insanity, convulsions, stubborn constipation, worms, ascites, oedema, colic, gout; wood in small doses induces sweating.
Ayurveda+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 759
Cynomorium (suo yang)
Cynomorium songaricum
Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens kidney yang, nourishes the blood and moistens the bowel.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 659
Dahurian angelica (bai zhi)
Angelica dahurica
Traditionally attributed effects: expels wind-cold, opens the nose and relieves headache and toothache; helps drain pus.
Chinese medical traditions+2
Caution
North America · Herb · № 189
Pine
Pinus spp.
The scent of needles and resin is experienced as fresh and cleansing. Pine buds and needles contain essential oil and vitamin C; a medicinal effect has hardly been studied.
Haudenosaunee medicine+3Folklore
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 761
Dendrobium (shi hu)
Dendrobium nobile (en verwante soorten)
Traditionally attributed effects: nourishes the yin of lung and stomach, replenishes body fluids and cools heat from deficiency.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Other · № 744
Dragon's blood (xue jie)
Daemonorops draco (ook Dracaena cochinchinensis)
Traditionally attributed effects: stops bleeding, resolves blood stagnation and promotes wound healing.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 756
Drynaria (gu sui bu)
Drynaria roosii (syn. D. fortunei)
Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens kidney yang, lets the blood flow and helps fractures and tendon injuries heal.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 56
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Traditionally used to stop bleeding from minor wounds, for fevers and colds, and as a digestive bitter. Clinical evidence is limited.
Greco-Roman medicine+6Folklore
Caution
Asia · Mushroom · № 701
Umbrella polypore (zhu ling)
Polyporus umbellatus
Traditionally attributed effects: drains fluid via the urine in oedema and difficult urination.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 585
Horny goat weed
Epimedium grandiflorum
Traditionally attributed effects: aphrodisiac, diuretic, tonic; increases libido, helps with erectile problems and fertility, strengthens the bladder sphincter and kidney function.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 662
Elsholtzia (xiang ru)
Elsholtzia splendens
Traditionally attributed effects: for summer colds from cold and dampness, and for oedema.
Chinese medical traditions

Image of Salvia divinorum

Featured · Central America and the Caribbean · Curanderismo

Salvia divinorum

Salvia divinorum

A sage with large leaves containing salvinorin A, a very potent substance acting on the kappa opioid receptor. Brings short-lived, often intense changes in perception and the feeling of leaving the body.

From plant to use

Ways to prepare herbs

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Discover more

Traditions, kitchen and classical formulas

43 traditions

Cultures & traditions

How communities built up and passed on their knowledge of plants, region by region.

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113 recipes

Recipes

Soups, teas and dishes in which herbs play a leading role.

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146 formulas

Chinese formulas

The classical Chinese formulas, also listed by condition.

Treatment by condition →All formulas →